Box-wall-forming integer



' n I A. E. CRANSTON 1.716.767

BOX WALL FORMING INTEGER Filed Dec. 24, 1927 1 INVENTOR whim armies:

47 ATTORNEY Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES ALBERT EARL CRANSTON, SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

.BOX-WALL-FORMING INTEGER.

Application filed December 24, 1927. Serial No. 242,400.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved box integer froma plurality of which any or all of the wall portions of a box may beformed.

The device of my invention is especially designed and adapted for theconstruction of fruit and anykind of shipping box where economy of costand lightness of weight are important.

One of the features of this invention is to provide a box wall forminginteger composed of a frame and a panel, and wherein the frame isprimarily relied upon to take the load and wherein the panel isprimarily a closure for the frame.

A special feature of my invention resides in novel means for rigidlyuniting the bars, composing the frame, into a rigid frame structure, andalso functioning to retain the panel in assembled relation with theframe.

A further feature consists in a novel frame structure provided withmeans forfioatingly holding the panel in position, thereby not onlyavoiding the necessity of specifically fastening the panel but alsopermitting the latter to be set in place with suflicient clearance sothat shrinkage or swelling of the panel can take place without renderingthe latter defective in the performance of its.

function, as a closure.

. 7 An important feature consists in the novel construction whereby oneset of bars may be made of uniform cross section throughout theirlength, and whereby necessary alterations of cross sectionare whollyconfined to the remaining set of bars.

My invention has many other features and objects which will be morefully described in connection with theaccompanying drawing and whichwill be more particularly pointed out in and bythe appended claims.

" In the drawing:

Fig. 1, is a view in side elevation of an integer showing the mostimproved form-of my invention.

Fig. 2, is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fi 1.

, Fig. 3, is a sectional view'on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig.4, is a top plan view looking in the direction of arrow 4, of Fig.1.

Fig.5, is a viewof the clip means detached fromthe integer. 1

, Like characters of reference designate similar partsthroughout thedifierent figures o 1 the drawing. I g

As shown, my improved integer includes a frame which is made up of whatI will ar-V bitrarily designate as frame and panel bars, although thisis a designation primarily adopted for convenience in facilitating aclear description of the frame because as matter of fact, all the barsare frame bars. l-iowever, in this specific form of the inven tion, Ihave shown a set or pair of frame bars 1, disposed in parallel relationand havmg each a cross section which is uniform throughout the lengththereof. The ends 2, of said bars are adapted toact as tenons, as

will presently be described.

The remaining set orpair of bars, which Ifwillterm the panel bars, aredesignated at 3, and while they are shown to be of greater length thanthe frame bars 1, this is a mere incident, as in many cases, the twosets of bars may be of the same length, or may vary widely in length.The ends 4, of bars 3,:are

mortised at 5 and 6 in a manner to receive 7 the tenon ends 2 and forma'shouldered engagement, as clearly shown. It may be stated that thismortised reduction of bars 3, is uniform across the thickness thereofthereby greatly simplifying the operation as compared to converging orother tapered forms of mortise and hence avoiding the necessity ofcarefully shaped parts. As thus far described, therewould be nothing tohold the bars 1 and 3, in a single plane in which they are showndisposed, and the device, as thus far described, is clearlyan openframe. It is now informative to state that while the frame bars 1 and 3,are relatively narrow in width and relatively slight in thickness,thereby enabling me to make, them of trims and edgings, still, they arerelatively heavy as compared to thebalance of the integer and aredesigned to take all the load and strain. 7

I will next describe the means and manner in which I close this openframe and in order formed on both bars 3, consists of a shoulder 7. andan abutting wall 8, the two forming what might be termed a panel seat.It is a featureof the invention to make this seat only deep enough tosubstantially correspond to the thickness of the closure used, andfurther, these panel seats only extend between the mortises, orspecifically, the shoulders 6, thereof. The inside edges 9, of bars 1,are not in any way modified, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2. i

As a closure for the open frame, I employ a panel 10, which in practice,may be a very thin sheet of veneer that is. not. designed. to take anymajor stress or strain and is merely capable of forming a closure andst. raining such: bulging stresses as the contents may impose. hen thisclosure is of wood, or any material that shrinks or swells, the constionispreferably arranged so that the gran terminating ends 11 will engagethe panel seats, it being understood that the grain runs vertically ofthe panel shown and toward th ends 11'. I also-cut the panel 1 0 so thata material. clearance will be present between the ends-L1,. and theshoulders i", of the panel seats thereby making full allowance forswelling of a wood panel Without permitting the same to bulge, the endclearance shown preventing bulging. TllQiSldC edges 12, which aredisposed abreast of the inner edges 9 of bars 1, neednothave as muchclearance but a slight clearance is afforded to take ample care of suchlateral swelling as may occur. It will be noted that the panel 10 fi sflush with the panel. side of the frame and that the panel is freely setin the frame and is not anchored or in any way rigidly secured tln-retobut is merely laterally engaged 'ith and structurally supported in andby the frame.

I will next describe an important feature ofmy invention whichinterdependently coacts with the frame forming bars and with the panehtoform a complete structure.

I have shown means for rigidly securing theframe and panel bars in frameforn'iing relation, and as shown, said means is in the form ofdevicesfor each corner of the frame and as all of said devices are alikein structure and function, only one need be described in detail.Referring to Fig. 5, said devices are'in the form of U-shaped staples orclips each having abight 13 and inwardly bent stapling ends 14. Whilethe frame is under coniipressioir in such a manner as to very tightlyhold the bars in the position shown in Fig. 1, a staple clip is driveninto both sides of each corner of the frame with the stapling the sidesof the bars, as clearly shown in Fl 4.. Furthermore, thiselongatedengagement of the bights 1'3 with the bars 1: and 3,.functionsmostetfectively to hold the bars against displacement from. a. singleplane. It will alsobe noted that the clips extend diagonally across thecorners of theframethereby holding themortised andtenon ends in firmengagement.

Preferably before the clips are attached, the panel 10 isdisposed in theframe as shown in Fig. 1. Now it is a feature of this invention-tosodispose the clips that the bights 13, thereof will extend acrossportions of the panellll, preferably across corner portions thereof, asshown. Hence, the clips perform the dual function of rigidlyconnecting-the bars in frame forming relation, and also, holdingthepanel in assembled relation with the frame. Thus it will be-seen thatI avoid not onlythe extra operation but alsothe matm'ial necessary tospecifically anchor the panel lO to the frame.

It will now be clear that the-panel is floatingly mounted intlieframeand that by reason of the end clearance-provided, I not onlyavoid the necessity and expense of cut-ting the veneei to' accuratelengths, but I can use veneer successfully irrespective of shrinkage orswelling either longitudinally orlaterallv. Where the panel is made ofnon-shrinkable material such as card-board, it may belitted more snugly,even tightly, in thefranie, although the function and interdependence ofthe parts would still bc' present as in either case, thepanel would befrictionally held in assembled relation with the frame.

By means of this construction, I can use material for the frame of avery narrow width and a very slight thickness and still make a framethat is capable of taking all the major stresses; By reason of the factthat the panel isdes'irably flush with one side face of the frame, thebiglits 13 serve-to engage and hold the panel so close to the re cessedportions 8-, that a very compact and secure structure is afforded;

irrespective of the paneL'I consider that the frame structure itself, ispate'ntable.

I have termed the" device of my invention a box wall formingintegerforboxes, and in this connection, I use'the-term wall generi-Cally, toincludebox tops, bottoms, sides, ends and partitions. In someof these integers, especially the partitions, the panel may beduplicated to present flush faces on both sides of theframe. i

It will nowbecl ear that by merely making up the integers in the propersizes, the walls of an entire" box, or in otherwords, an entire box maybe made with these integers,thebars thereof forming convenient andstable nailing stock.

It is believed thatthedevice of'iny invention will be clearly understoodfrom the foregoing description, and While I have herein shown anddescribed one specific formof my invention, 1 do not wish to belimited-thereto except for. suclilimitations as theclaims may import.

CJI

I claim:

1. In a box Wall forming integer, a plurality of endWise abutted barsjointly forming an, open frame, a panel closing said frame and beingstructurally and floatingly supported thereby, and means holding saidbars united in frame forming relation and engagin g said panel to holdthe latter in structural relation with said frame.

2. In a box Wall forming integer, a plurality of relatively strong barsdisposed to form an open frame and certain of said bars having theirinner margins laterally recessed to form a panel receiving portion, arelatively thin panel freely set in said receiving portion, and devicesrigidly holding said bars in frame forming relation and laterallyengaging said panel to hold the latter in floating relation with saidframe.

3. In a box wall forming integer, a plurality of bars in endwiseshouldered open frame forming relation and one set of bars beinglaterally recessed on their inner margins, a panel set in said frameagainst said recessed margins and closing said frame, and tension clipsconnecting said bars rigidly'in shouldered relation and extending acrosscorner portions of said panel to retain the latter in assembled relationwith said frame.

.42. In a box wall forming integer, a plurality of bars inshoulderedrelation jointly forming an open frame and certain of said bars beinglaterally recessed on one side thereof to a sufficient depth to receivea relatively thin panel, a panel of a thickness to fioatingly andfrietionally hold the latter in assembled relation With said frame.

5. In a box wall forming integer, parallel 7 frame and panel barsjointly forming an open frame, said frame bars being of uniform crosssection throughout their length and the ends of said bars being adaptedto form tenons, said panel bars being mortised at their ends to receivethe tenon ends of said frame bars, and said panel bars having theirinner edges recessed to form panel seats extending between the mortisedends of said bars, a

panel closing said frame and having its grain terminating end edgesengaging said panel seats With a shrinking or swelling clearance and theside edges of said panel being in clearance relation abreast of theinside edges of said frame bars, and clips on opposite sides of saidframe extending diagonally across the corners thereof and uniting saidbars, certain of said clips extending across corner portions of saidpanel to hold the latter in assembled relation in said seats ALBERT EARLCRANSTON.

